Well, the NBA season is about to begin, so we had our annual fantasy league draft this Saturday. This our first year as a keeper league, meaning we'll be able to keep 2 or 3 players from our lineups next season. So younger guys are more valueable than guys in the twilight of their career, even if they still produce well right now.
I was drafting 8th, so I figured I'd be able to land Andrei Kirilenko in the first round. I was rather shocked to see Tracy McGrady go undrafted, and quickly grabbed him instead. T-Mac is one the league's two best guards, so I'm elated with this pick. I think the move to Houston, an actual good team (something T-Mac hasn't experienced yet in the L), will be very good for him, as defenses won't be able to focus on him nearly as much. T-Mac was very good for my team last year, and getting him was a great start. AK dropped all the way to 13, where he was snapped up by my good friend G.
Next round, I was even more surprised to see Shawn Marion available at the 21st overall pick. Marion was ranked in the top 10 in many predraft rankings, and top 15 in just about all of them. Phoenix is a team with many scorers, so some thought his value will be diluted. I think he's the MAN there, and will remain the leading scorer and a top rebounder.
By the time my pick in the third round arrived, I was in shock to see Peja Stojakovic still around at the 36st pick. Peja was a top 20 player last year, and with new scoring rules in our league favoring scorers and passers more than ever, he'll be a great player this year. Despite the return to active duty of Chris Webber at Sacramento, I figure he'll still be the leading scorer, and may have better shooting percentage. So I had 3 of the league's top 20 players with my first three picks, which made me a very happy camper.
Round 4 was my first big gamble, as I picked second year player Chris Bosh. Bosh was a very nice player as a rookie, and I believe he'll get better this year. He's also a center, and good centers are VERY rare. So I gambled.
In the 5th round, I picked up Tony Parker, a super talented player, who tends to have ups and downs. I think this will be a good year for young Parker, and that he'll be a very good second guard for me. Some disagree and call this a gamble as well.
In round 6, I really started to roll the dice, when I picked Shareef Abdur-Raheem. Shareef is a very talented player who usually has great stats, but he was traded to Portland, where he plays behind Zach Randolph, and gets less minutes. If he stays in Portland, this wasn't a very good pick. However, there are very strong rumors that he's getting traded to the Nets, who have NO power forward. If that happens, he becomes a 2nd-3rd round type player, and my team becomes a monster and a top contender.
I went conservative in round 7, and picked the best available player in Michael Finley. Not as good as he used to be, but still a very solid player, who rounds up my top seven (we start 7 players every week).
Round 8 was my round to gamble again, as I picked Jeff McInnis. McInnis is a bit of a headcase, and has been very unstable in his production. But now he's the starting point guard for Cleveland, where he gets to rack up assists passing to LeBron James. I think he'll be solid.
In round 9, I finally got another of my guys from last year, the solid if unspectacular Jim Jackson, who this year will be T-Mac's teammate in Houston as well as on my team. It's considered advisable to have as few players as possible from the same team on your fantasy team, but I made an exception for Jackson, who I really like.
The last three rounds were all about gambling. Melvin Ely, my pick in round 10, is playing in the expansion team, Bobcats, and someone has to grab rebounds on that talent depraved team. Plus, he's a center, and I needed another one. Luol Deng, who I picked up in round 11 is an extremely athletic rookie in Chicago, where he'll be starting. And Eric Williams seems like a nice guy, and the Nets don't have that many players this year. Frankly, he isn't likely to stay on my roster long, and will probably be replaced by some undrafted player or by someone else's castoff.
This draft was often frustrating, as some players drafted very well, and were constantly drafting the guys I was going to get. But overall, I'm happy. My top guys are great and my gambles have potential. This is going to be a fun year.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Farscape
I was forced to watch Farscape.
A couple of years ago, I decided to give Farscape a try. After four episodes, I stopped. It just didn't seem to be very good. The production values were crappy, the latex makeup was annoying, and the guy who appeared to be the lead villain... well, he sucked.
Fast forward two years later, and one of my best friends got hooked on the show when it was aired over the summer. Now this is a friend who has read books, watched television shows, and used software, all based on my recommendations. If I said "you have to try this," she did. So when she said I had to watch Farscape, I resisted, but eventually relented. I promised to watch until the seventh episode of the second season. If I wasn't hooked by then, she said, I could stop.
I've just finished watching Farscape: The Peacekeepers War mini-series, which follows the regular series. I was hooked long before episode seven of year two.
Farscape follows in the grand tradition of Babylon 5 and Buffy, in that it has a fairly crappy first season, with some bright spots, and then takes off in the second, and suddenly you're watching a really, really good show. In fact, Farscape takes off before the end of Season 1.
Farscape is probably the funniest SF show which isn't an outright comedy (heck, I though it was way funnier than Red Dwarf, but I know some would consider that blasphemy.) It's as dramatic as B5, and while it doesn't have the acting genius of Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, it does have a much more rounded cast. Also, it has Claudia Black, who is very, very good.
While Farscape does have an overall story, it isn't the work of genius that B5's story was. But, again, the actual scripts are better. Particularly the dialogues.
It's a show about aliens, but it's a show about people, friendship, and love. It is, very much, a show about ambition, obsession, and betrayal, but it is an optimistic show. It is a show about madness, but it is a show about making the right decisions. It is a show about man's folly, but it is a show about man's genius and greatness.
So what I'm saying is... it's a really good show. You should all watch it. Just make it through the first 20 episodes or so. It gets better. Trust me.
A couple of years ago, I decided to give Farscape a try. After four episodes, I stopped. It just didn't seem to be very good. The production values were crappy, the latex makeup was annoying, and the guy who appeared to be the lead villain... well, he sucked.
Fast forward two years later, and one of my best friends got hooked on the show when it was aired over the summer. Now this is a friend who has read books, watched television shows, and used software, all based on my recommendations. If I said "you have to try this," she did. So when she said I had to watch Farscape, I resisted, but eventually relented. I promised to watch until the seventh episode of the second season. If I wasn't hooked by then, she said, I could stop.
I've just finished watching Farscape: The Peacekeepers War mini-series, which follows the regular series. I was hooked long before episode seven of year two.
Farscape follows in the grand tradition of Babylon 5 and Buffy, in that it has a fairly crappy first season, with some bright spots, and then takes off in the second, and suddenly you're watching a really, really good show. In fact, Farscape takes off before the end of Season 1.
Farscape is probably the funniest SF show which isn't an outright comedy (heck, I though it was way funnier than Red Dwarf, but I know some would consider that blasphemy.) It's as dramatic as B5, and while it doesn't have the acting genius of Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, it does have a much more rounded cast. Also, it has Claudia Black, who is very, very good.
While Farscape does have an overall story, it isn't the work of genius that B5's story was. But, again, the actual scripts are better. Particularly the dialogues.
It's a show about aliens, but it's a show about people, friendship, and love. It is, very much, a show about ambition, obsession, and betrayal, but it is an optimistic show. It is a show about madness, but it is a show about making the right decisions. It is a show about man's folly, but it is a show about man's genius and greatness.
So what I'm saying is... it's a really good show. You should all watch it. Just make it through the first 20 episodes or so. It gets better. Trust me.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Some more about Extreme Makeover Home Edition
I love reality TV as much as the next person. I watch Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, The Apprentice, The Benefactor (yes, it sucks, but I really like Cuban). But we all know most American reality tv shows are all about exploiting people's desire for a reward or a TV appearance, and putting them through the ringer to get to stay on TV and get closer to the reward.
UK reality TV shows have, for the most part, been different. Changing Rooms, Life Laundry, What Not To Wear, and the wonderful Would Like To Meet are shows that are all about helping people. It's basically a reverse proposition - instead of "we'll put you on TV, and in exchange we'll do nasty things to you", it's "you'll let us put you on TV and in exchange we'll help you out". Most of the British shows I mentioned have American counterparts, but they're not very successful or prominent. Queer Eye, which is successful, does help people, but every episode also includes putting the Straight Guy down in a multitude of ways.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition is the exception. It is very much an American show. It's garish, loud, all out. But it genuinely helps people, and genuinely RESPECTS the people it helps. It displays a very strong attitude of "you deserve it, you need it, so we'll help, because we CAN." And it is compelling television viewing. It is a show about goodness, and it seems goodness doesn't have to be boring or preachy. Goodness can be "good television" just as much as evil, and backstabbing can.
UK reality TV shows have, for the most part, been different. Changing Rooms, Life Laundry, What Not To Wear, and the wonderful Would Like To Meet are shows that are all about helping people. It's basically a reverse proposition - instead of "we'll put you on TV, and in exchange we'll do nasty things to you", it's "you'll let us put you on TV and in exchange we'll help you out". Most of the British shows I mentioned have American counterparts, but they're not very successful or prominent. Queer Eye, which is successful, does help people, but every episode also includes putting the Straight Guy down in a multitude of ways.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition is the exception. It is very much an American show. It's garish, loud, all out. But it genuinely helps people, and genuinely RESPECTS the people it helps. It displays a very strong attitude of "you deserve it, you need it, so we'll help, because we CAN." And it is compelling television viewing. It is a show about goodness, and it seems goodness doesn't have to be boring or preachy. Goodness can be "good television" just as much as evil, and backstabbing can.
Byron Leftwich
In the fourth round of this year's NFL fantasy draft, I picked Byron Leftwich, a young Quarterback entering his second year as a starter. He's not the QB I would have picked, but having the second pick in the draft means your picks on even rounds are very late picks, and all the QBs I really wanted weren't available.
In the first two games of the year, Leftwich was good for his NFL team, but very bad for me. The Jaguars defense would keep the team in games, and then the newly christened Lord Byron would get them to a scoring position and they would win. Great for them, crap for me, and I lost my first three games.
Then came week 4. I had grown tired of Leftwich's performances, and benched him in favor of newly acquired (and newly starting) Kerry Collins. Collins was terrible, but my team still managed its first win of the season. On my bench, Byron exploded for 20 fantasy points (after scoring 8, 10, and 12 in the first three weeks). So I put him back in the lineup. Since then, he's scored 23, 33, and 24. He's currently ranked 6th among QBs in fantasy points, and threatens to move two spots up if he keeps this up (the top three are pretty much unassailable). I've won my last four games, I'm up to second place in my division, one game behind first place. And Byron Leftwich just led his team to victory against the Indianapolis Colts (whose superlative QB, Peyton Manning, led my fantasy team to a championship last year).
Sometimes, the choices you are forced to make are the best ones. And this year, my new team is the Jacksonville Jaguars (I need a second team to follow, as following my beloved 49ers has become depressing, and they are nowhere NEAR playoff contention).
In the first two games of the year, Leftwich was good for his NFL team, but very bad for me. The Jaguars defense would keep the team in games, and then the newly christened Lord Byron would get them to a scoring position and they would win. Great for them, crap for me, and I lost my first three games.
Then came week 4. I had grown tired of Leftwich's performances, and benched him in favor of newly acquired (and newly starting) Kerry Collins. Collins was terrible, but my team still managed its first win of the season. On my bench, Byron exploded for 20 fantasy points (after scoring 8, 10, and 12 in the first three weeks). So I put him back in the lineup. Since then, he's scored 23, 33, and 24. He's currently ranked 6th among QBs in fantasy points, and threatens to move two spots up if he keeps this up (the top three are pretty much unassailable). I've won my last four games, I'm up to second place in my division, one game behind first place. And Byron Leftwich just led his team to victory against the Indianapolis Colts (whose superlative QB, Peyton Manning, led my fantasy team to a championship last year).
Sometimes, the choices you are forced to make are the best ones. And this year, my new team is the Jacksonville Jaguars (I need a second team to follow, as following my beloved 49ers has become depressing, and they are nowhere NEAR playoff contention).
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Veronica Mars
Four episodes in, Veronica Mars is the most unlikely good show on TV. I mean, how can a show about a high school kid who playes detective possibly be good, right?
Well, apparently, it can. It seems clever writing, an overall story arc, and especially good casting can take a stupid premise and make something good out of it.
At the top of the things that make Veronica Mars a good, occasionally excellent, show, is Kristen Bell, who may be a little old to play a high school kid, but seems to carry it off extremely well. She's bright, funny, charming, and engaging. In fact, she would make a better Buffy than SMG ever was. But that's water under the bridge, and this blonde has a show built to fit her. The supporting cast is uneven. Kyle Secor and Enrico Colantoni are always good, and it's nice to see Colantoni can do the drama as well the funny (though he's still better at the funny). Some of the younger members of the cast aren't as good, and the less said about Paris Hilton's guest appearance in the second episode, the better.
I've always had a soft spot for teen shows that show high school as the hell it really is, and VM does that quite well. High school is a crappy time in many people's lives, and shows about high school need to reflect that. But VM isn't really a show about high school, nor is it as light hearted as it may seem. Much like another succeful new show, Desperate Housewives, all of the events in the series, and most of the relationships, are impacted by a death, in this case, a murder.
One of my favorite things about the show is that it takes place months after the cataclysmic event that overshadows it - the murder of Lilly Kane, VM's best friend, and her boyfriend (at the time)'s sister. The actions taken by VM's father, who was the town sheriff, and everything that followed, are what set things in motion and put events on the path to where it is when the show starts - with Veronica as a formerly popular girl whose dad used to be the Sheriff.
Veronica Mars is a teen show, but it's a smart teen show. It's also a pretty decent detective show, but mostly for the mystery of Lilly Kane's murder, that is clearly the story, and less so for Veronica's weekly cases, that occasionally have large logic shaped holes in them. For right now, I'll keep watching.
Well, apparently, it can. It seems clever writing, an overall story arc, and especially good casting can take a stupid premise and make something good out of it.
At the top of the things that make Veronica Mars a good, occasionally excellent, show, is Kristen Bell, who may be a little old to play a high school kid, but seems to carry it off extremely well. She's bright, funny, charming, and engaging. In fact, she would make a better Buffy than SMG ever was. But that's water under the bridge, and this blonde has a show built to fit her. The supporting cast is uneven. Kyle Secor and Enrico Colantoni are always good, and it's nice to see Colantoni can do the drama as well the funny (though he's still better at the funny). Some of the younger members of the cast aren't as good, and the less said about Paris Hilton's guest appearance in the second episode, the better.
I've always had a soft spot for teen shows that show high school as the hell it really is, and VM does that quite well. High school is a crappy time in many people's lives, and shows about high school need to reflect that. But VM isn't really a show about high school, nor is it as light hearted as it may seem. Much like another succeful new show, Desperate Housewives, all of the events in the series, and most of the relationships, are impacted by a death, in this case, a murder.
One of my favorite things about the show is that it takes place months after the cataclysmic event that overshadows it - the murder of Lilly Kane, VM's best friend, and her boyfriend (at the time)'s sister. The actions taken by VM's father, who was the town sheriff, and everything that followed, are what set things in motion and put events on the path to where it is when the show starts - with Veronica as a formerly popular girl whose dad used to be the Sheriff.
Veronica Mars is a teen show, but it's a smart teen show. It's also a pretty decent detective show, but mostly for the mystery of Lilly Kane's murder, that is clearly the story, and less so for Veronica's weekly cases, that occasionally have large logic shaped holes in them. For right now, I'll keep watching.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
So I wrote a long post about how my HDs crashed...
And Blogger promptly are it and gave me an error message. Poetic, I guess.
So I'll make it brief - both HDs crashed. Getdataback got some of my data back. And I'm still standing.
So I'll make it brief - both HDs crashed. Getdataback got some of my data back. And I'm still standing.
Sunday, October 17, 2004
In every four-year term there is a chosen one...
He alone will face the American public, the United Nations, and the forces of darkness. He is the President.
Joss Whedon supports John Kerry. Link via Atrios.
Joss Whedon supports John Kerry. Link via Atrios.
Brief Interaction notes
Quite a few Israelis have said they want to go to Interaction, the Glasgow Worldcon, next year. However, looking at the Interaction website, I see that only five Israelis have signed up. Several of my friends and I have signed up, and gotten reservations for the con's main hotel. Looking at the reservations website, I see that all three of the hotels that are adjacent to the convention center are fully booked. The main party hotel, the Hilton, still seems to have room. If you're an Israeli looking for a place to stay, and you're not looking for someplace *quiet*, the Hilton would definitely be my choice. As you can book your hotel rooms now without a deposit, I would recommend registering while some of the more desirable hotels are still available.
Also of note for fans - prices are going to go up on December 1st. Currently, prices for an attending membership are £95 / $170 / €145. Come December 1st, prices will be £110 / $195 / €165. This is, obviously, a significant difference, and I strongly suggest that fans who know they're going to attend register before prices go up.
Also of note for fans - prices are going to go up on December 1st. Currently, prices for an attending membership are £95 / $170 / €145. Come December 1st, prices will be £110 / $195 / €165. This is, obviously, a significant difference, and I strongly suggest that fans who know they're going to attend register before prices go up.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Using the mind to send email and change the channel...
People (most notably, Tammy) often tell me I'm way too optimistic in my belief in science's ability to overcome the obstacles that face mankind.
When scientists implant a chip in a quadriplegic man's brain, that enables him to use the computer and control the television, I know I'm right.
Link via Boing Boing.
When scientists implant a chip in a quadriplegic man's brain, that enables him to use the computer and control the television, I know I'm right.
Link via Boing Boing.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Two things about the fourth ep of Lost
It is SO the best show on TV. It's not even a contest. And it is SO a genre show.
And if you love spoilers, you can read Cleolinda Jones' recap of the terrific ep. I'll just quote one sentence: WATCH THE SHOW.
And if you love spoilers, you can read Cleolinda Jones' recap of the terrific ep. I'll just quote one sentence: WATCH THE SHOW.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Fantasy football update
Well, it's been a while since I updated about my exploits in fantasy football (not that anyone cares). There was good reason for that - after boasting about my "excellent" draft, my team started the season 0-3, and my #1 receiver, Steve Smith, broke his leg. Not the best start. One of my promising young quarterbacks, Rex Grossman, soon joined him on the injured list, as he's out for the season. Things were not looking good for the Dark Establishment team.
However, my guys have turned it around a bit, so I can finally talk about the team without wincing. On week 4, my refurbished team didn't play very well, but monster performances by Tomlinson and Caldwell managed to overcome a poor performance by my opponent. This week, I finally saw the team I thought I drafted, as my defense exploded for 33 points, and the team racked up 112 points total, doubling up my opponent, who only scored 56.
So now I'm 2-3, still last in my four player division. But the two guys I need to pass by season's end to get to the playoffs are 3-2, so I'm only a game behind.
The coming week is a scary one, as the Baltimore D is on a bye week, and I'm playing my very good friend (and top fantasy player) Guy Sever. I usually root for G's teams, but this week it's him or me, and I certainly hope to come away with a victory. It isn't going to be easy, but at least his top guy (Shaun Alexander) is playing against the spectacular New England defense.
In other news from my fantasy league, the crazy guy who built his team around wide receivers (league comish Dave Rosenthal) is currently 5-0. Unbelievable.
However, my guys have turned it around a bit, so I can finally talk about the team without wincing. On week 4, my refurbished team didn't play very well, but monster performances by Tomlinson and Caldwell managed to overcome a poor performance by my opponent. This week, I finally saw the team I thought I drafted, as my defense exploded for 33 points, and the team racked up 112 points total, doubling up my opponent, who only scored 56.
So now I'm 2-3, still last in my four player division. But the two guys I need to pass by season's end to get to the playoffs are 3-2, so I'm only a game behind.
The coming week is a scary one, as the Baltimore D is on a bye week, and I'm playing my very good friend (and top fantasy player) Guy Sever. I usually root for G's teams, but this week it's him or me, and I certainly hope to come away with a victory. It isn't going to be easy, but at least his top guy (Shaun Alexander) is playing against the spectacular New England defense.
In other news from my fantasy league, the crazy guy who built his team around wide receivers (league comish Dave Rosenthal) is currently 5-0. Unbelievable.
Tell me we don't live in a Science Fiction world...
Sometimes it's cool. Sometimes, like right now, it's pretty scary. The US airforce is trying to create freaking Anti-matter weapons.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Lost
Three episodes in, Lost is the best show on TV. Not the best genre show (and make no mistake, it IS a genre show), the best show. The premise is simple - a plane from Australia to the US crashes after losing radio contact, and changing course. It's at least a thousand miles from where it was supposed to be when it crashed. 48 passengers survive the crash, and end up on an island where huge, unseen creatures move in the jungle.
The show has several strenghs, starting with my main quibble with most current tv dramas - writing. JJ Abrams, creator of Alias, is much better in a format which makes it more difficult for him to indulge in his lust for cliffhangers, which is what turned me off Alias. Future episodes will features a couple of writers who are well known to genre fans - David Fury, better known to Buffy fans as "The Mustard Man", and the brilliant Paul Dini, creator of Batman Beyond, Batman: The Animated series, and others. Strong writing is the single most important ingredient in TV drama, and the episodes I've seen display it, while the writers' lineup promises more of the same.
But strong writing can fall flat without strong acting, and the cast of Lost seems to be one of the strongest I've seen on TV. Some are well known, such as Matthew Fox (Charlie, from A Party of Five), Harold Perrineau (Augustus Hill, from Oz, possibly the best cast tv show ever), Dominic Monaghan (Merry from the LoTR movies), and Daniel Dae Kim (Gavin Park from Angel, and he apparently played some character in the second season of 24). Others are relatively new faces, such as the lovely Evangeline Lilly (who will be a star soon, as she is both very good and very beautiful) and Jorge Garcia. It's a huge cast, and I've only mentioned some of the important players. And it is extremely solid. Fox and Lilly carry the first few episodes, but this seems to be set up as a true ensemble piece.
I've been turned off in the past by series with strong acting and writing, due to bad production values. Sometimes, this has been a mistake (look for a post in the next few weeks about how I learned to love Farscape), but usually, I just can't get over it when a series doesn't look good. Lost looks very, very good.
So there you have it. The total package. It's a mystery (well, a bunch of mysteries), it's character driven drama, it's got a great setup, and it is very well done. And I do believe it will have monsters soon, so what more can you ask for?
The show has several strenghs, starting with my main quibble with most current tv dramas - writing. JJ Abrams, creator of Alias, is much better in a format which makes it more difficult for him to indulge in his lust for cliffhangers, which is what turned me off Alias. Future episodes will features a couple of writers who are well known to genre fans - David Fury, better known to Buffy fans as "The Mustard Man", and the brilliant Paul Dini, creator of Batman Beyond, Batman: The Animated series, and others. Strong writing is the single most important ingredient in TV drama, and the episodes I've seen display it, while the writers' lineup promises more of the same.
But strong writing can fall flat without strong acting, and the cast of Lost seems to be one of the strongest I've seen on TV. Some are well known, such as Matthew Fox (Charlie, from A Party of Five), Harold Perrineau (Augustus Hill, from Oz, possibly the best cast tv show ever), Dominic Monaghan (Merry from the LoTR movies), and Daniel Dae Kim (Gavin Park from Angel, and he apparently played some character in the second season of 24). Others are relatively new faces, such as the lovely Evangeline Lilly (who will be a star soon, as she is both very good and very beautiful) and Jorge Garcia. It's a huge cast, and I've only mentioned some of the important players. And it is extremely solid. Fox and Lilly carry the first few episodes, but this seems to be set up as a true ensemble piece.
I've been turned off in the past by series with strong acting and writing, due to bad production values. Sometimes, this has been a mistake (look for a post in the next few weeks about how I learned to love Farscape), but usually, I just can't get over it when a series doesn't look good. Lost looks very, very good.
So there you have it. The total package. It's a mystery (well, a bunch of mysteries), it's character driven drama, it's got a great setup, and it is very well done. And I do believe it will have monsters soon, so what more can you ask for?
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Mirrormask trailer
Just watched the first Mirrormask trailer, and it is awesome. It really does look like a particularly Dave McKeanish piece of Dave McKean art that has come to life. The combination of McKean and Henson on visuals, with Gaiman on story, is really one I'm looking forward to.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Icon 2004: Day 3 (plus thanks and kudos)
Day 3 started late for me, as I got held up at home due to computer problems. I did manage to get to Icon in time to get GGK to his meeting at the Eshkol with the various media outlets of the sf, roleplaying and star trek media outlets. having left GGK safely in the hands of the likes of Vered Tochterman, Nir Yaniv, Mike Fiedler, and Dotan Dimet (ok, maybe "safely" is a bit of a stretch), I met some friends for a quick lunch at Odeon, which despite the previous night's ordeal has become a sort of home base for GGK and the entourage.
Two beers and some conversation later, I went back to the eshkol building, as the meeting was followed by a second signing sessions, this one for the volunteers who couldn't get free to wait in line the previous day. Not finding the time for the volunteers to meet OSC and get their books signed last year was a major issue, and I was happy to have the opportunity to do it this time. Last year, OSC arrived in Israel the night before the con, and left the night it ended. Therefore, he had to see everything he wanted to see in Israel on the mornings of the days of the con itself. This lead to us having a very, very, very tight schedule. But lessions were learned, and the fact that GGK had the weekend before the con to go to Jerusalem, meant he arrived at around noon every day, and we were pretty much able to schedule whatever we wanted.
After the signing, I went back to the con, and then joined GGK and company at Odeon. After drinks, GGK and several others went to have dinner, while I spent the time at and around the Cinemateque, talking with older and newer friends, as per usual. As has been the case with most Icons, I got to know some new people, and got to know others better. This aspect of the con is always my favorite, which is a good thing, as I didn't manage to find the time to go to any of the programmed events I wanted to. Except for the opening ceremony, if I wasn't on stage, I wasn't in it. This means I missed things such as Ilan Eshkoli's lecture, which is a shame, as he is an extremely entertaining and erudite speaker.
GGK et al made it back in time for him to make an appearance at the volunteers' meetup, where he thanked them, and they thanked him by way of the wave.
GGK went to prepare for his reading by going over the passage he had selected from Lions of El-Rassan.
Then it was off to the double header event - the Geffen awards and GGK's reading. The winners of the Geffen were:
Best Translated SF Book: Warchild by Katherine Lowachee
Best Translated Fantasy Book: Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Best Original Short Story: Dragon Checkpoint by Rami Shalhevet
I've already stated my opinions about the nominees, so needless to say I was dissapointed by the results.
This was followed by the reading, which I thought was excellent. It was interesting to see which turns of phrase and passages GGK is clearly still very fond of. The scene read was De Rada's raid on Rovigo's farm, an excellent stand-alone scene. I then got back to the stage, and did my usual (by now) bit of repeating, and sometimes translating, the questions. It was another lively session. I then called to the stage Itay Horev and Hadas Ferber, two of the three coordinators of the con, who presented GGK with a present from the con.
I next had to do some fast thinking - GGK wanted to go for drinks and invited me and Rani Graff to come along. But we also wanted to vote for the new board of the ISSFF, at the meeting that was taking place at the same time in Eshkol. My solution was simple - I got GGK and company a table at Tapeo, a tapas bar in Haarbaa street, right across from the eshkol. I then went to the eshkol with Rani, where we got Shmuel Shmuel to call us when voting started, and went back to our table. I was sorry to miss the actual debate at the ISSFF general assembly, and hope to be brought up to speed about it soon (I was too busy recouping today to talk society politics), but a last chance to sit down with one of my favorite authors for a drink was not something I could pass up. Everything went well. We voted, we ate, we drank, we got the results (the predictable nominees were selected). We then drank some more, talked some more, and eventually all went to sleep.
Rani Graff had offerred to take GGK to the airport, an offer GGK was happy to accept. So all too short a time after going to sleep, I woke up and was collected by Rani, with GGK already in the car. We proceeded to the airport. Longtime readers of this blog may remember how I was fortunately able to spare OSC a very long wait at the airport last year. Well, it seems I'm making a habit out of it. GGK was in no danger of missing his flight, but I managed to convince the security personnel to forego the x-ray, and just do the security interview. This left GGK with quite a bit of time before his flight, and so we sat down over some soft drinks and talked some more. While we were sitting down, we mentioned how small a country Israel is, in the sense that you always run into people you know. Right then, a young woman who was at the con appeared, and came over to say hello. GGK accused us of having arranged that, of course. When we took him to the escalator, right after we said our goodbyes, three MORE con goers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and thanked GGK for a great con. Obviously, we immediately took credit for arranging that as well.
And then Guy Kay went up the escalator, and Icon 2004 was officially DONE.
And now, my thanks:
To my fellow members of the content committee, for a mostly harmonious process which produced a terrific program.
To Uri Aviv, Hadas Ferber, and Itay Horev (and Dubi Zolti, who replaced Uri for a short while prior to the con) for an excellent job running the con. This was the smoothest con experience I've ever had. Both before and during the con, everything I needed as GGK events coordinator was supplied quickly and well. Plus, no one seemed to want to take my head off this time, which was nice.
To Nomi and Tamar. The level of competence you two display at each con, coupled with your good cheer, is a constant wonder.
To the logistics staff and technical staff. Everything looked awesome. Everything seemed to work. In a con of this scale (and the number of people seemed be even bigger than last year), this is amazing.
To the volunteers. What a huge, terrific bunch of people.
To Dora. What an incredible job publicizing the con.
To Noa. If it weren't for your wonderful suggested questions for the panel, I would have had to think of more questions, and my brain was hurting at that point.
To Mike, Nir, Vered, Ilan, Rani, Tzippi, Lavie, Both Yael A's and everyone else I spent time with during the con, including people mentioned in the previous thanks. If Icon served no purpose but allowing me the pleasure of your company every year, and meeting more of you, it would still be worth it.
To Asaf and Deborah, who were my partnets in escorting GGK. Asaf, especially, took time out to do this on a week when he literally had NO time to spare.
And finally, to Guy Gavriel Kay. If you read this site in Hebrew, or know me at all, you know that Tigana is my favorite novel in the world. Meeting Guy, talking to him about sports and politics and books and writers, doing a panel with him, assisting him during lectures, hearing him read the words he wrote, and having drinks with him, has been an amazing experience, and one I will never, ever forget. Thank you, Guy.
Two beers and some conversation later, I went back to the eshkol building, as the meeting was followed by a second signing sessions, this one for the volunteers who couldn't get free to wait in line the previous day. Not finding the time for the volunteers to meet OSC and get their books signed last year was a major issue, and I was happy to have the opportunity to do it this time. Last year, OSC arrived in Israel the night before the con, and left the night it ended. Therefore, he had to see everything he wanted to see in Israel on the mornings of the days of the con itself. This lead to us having a very, very, very tight schedule. But lessions were learned, and the fact that GGK had the weekend before the con to go to Jerusalem, meant he arrived at around noon every day, and we were pretty much able to schedule whatever we wanted.
After the signing, I went back to the con, and then joined GGK and company at Odeon. After drinks, GGK and several others went to have dinner, while I spent the time at and around the Cinemateque, talking with older and newer friends, as per usual. As has been the case with most Icons, I got to know some new people, and got to know others better. This aspect of the con is always my favorite, which is a good thing, as I didn't manage to find the time to go to any of the programmed events I wanted to. Except for the opening ceremony, if I wasn't on stage, I wasn't in it. This means I missed things such as Ilan Eshkoli's lecture, which is a shame, as he is an extremely entertaining and erudite speaker.
GGK et al made it back in time for him to make an appearance at the volunteers' meetup, where he thanked them, and they thanked him by way of the wave.
GGK went to prepare for his reading by going over the passage he had selected from Lions of El-Rassan.
Then it was off to the double header event - the Geffen awards and GGK's reading. The winners of the Geffen were:
Best Translated SF Book: Warchild by Katherine Lowachee
Best Translated Fantasy Book: Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Best Original Short Story: Dragon Checkpoint by Rami Shalhevet
I've already stated my opinions about the nominees, so needless to say I was dissapointed by the results.
This was followed by the reading, which I thought was excellent. It was interesting to see which turns of phrase and passages GGK is clearly still very fond of. The scene read was De Rada's raid on Rovigo's farm, an excellent stand-alone scene. I then got back to the stage, and did my usual (by now) bit of repeating, and sometimes translating, the questions. It was another lively session. I then called to the stage Itay Horev and Hadas Ferber, two of the three coordinators of the con, who presented GGK with a present from the con.
I next had to do some fast thinking - GGK wanted to go for drinks and invited me and Rani Graff to come along. But we also wanted to vote for the new board of the ISSFF, at the meeting that was taking place at the same time in Eshkol. My solution was simple - I got GGK and company a table at Tapeo, a tapas bar in Haarbaa street, right across from the eshkol. I then went to the eshkol with Rani, where we got Shmuel Shmuel to call us when voting started, and went back to our table. I was sorry to miss the actual debate at the ISSFF general assembly, and hope to be brought up to speed about it soon (I was too busy recouping today to talk society politics), but a last chance to sit down with one of my favorite authors for a drink was not something I could pass up. Everything went well. We voted, we ate, we drank, we got the results (the predictable nominees were selected). We then drank some more, talked some more, and eventually all went to sleep.
Rani Graff had offerred to take GGK to the airport, an offer GGK was happy to accept. So all too short a time after going to sleep, I woke up and was collected by Rani, with GGK already in the car. We proceeded to the airport. Longtime readers of this blog may remember how I was fortunately able to spare OSC a very long wait at the airport last year. Well, it seems I'm making a habit out of it. GGK was in no danger of missing his flight, but I managed to convince the security personnel to forego the x-ray, and just do the security interview. This left GGK with quite a bit of time before his flight, and so we sat down over some soft drinks and talked some more. While we were sitting down, we mentioned how small a country Israel is, in the sense that you always run into people you know. Right then, a young woman who was at the con appeared, and came over to say hello. GGK accused us of having arranged that, of course. When we took him to the escalator, right after we said our goodbyes, three MORE con goers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and thanked GGK for a great con. Obviously, we immediately took credit for arranging that as well.
And then Guy Kay went up the escalator, and Icon 2004 was officially DONE.
And now, my thanks:
To my fellow members of the content committee, for a mostly harmonious process which produced a terrific program.
To Uri Aviv, Hadas Ferber, and Itay Horev (and Dubi Zolti, who replaced Uri for a short while prior to the con) for an excellent job running the con. This was the smoothest con experience I've ever had. Both before and during the con, everything I needed as GGK events coordinator was supplied quickly and well. Plus, no one seemed to want to take my head off this time, which was nice.
To Nomi and Tamar. The level of competence you two display at each con, coupled with your good cheer, is a constant wonder.
To the logistics staff and technical staff. Everything looked awesome. Everything seemed to work. In a con of this scale (and the number of people seemed be even bigger than last year), this is amazing.
To the volunteers. What a huge, terrific bunch of people.
To Dora. What an incredible job publicizing the con.
To Noa. If it weren't for your wonderful suggested questions for the panel, I would have had to think of more questions, and my brain was hurting at that point.
To Mike, Nir, Vered, Ilan, Rani, Tzippi, Lavie, Both Yael A's and everyone else I spent time with during the con, including people mentioned in the previous thanks. If Icon served no purpose but allowing me the pleasure of your company every year, and meeting more of you, it would still be worth it.
To Asaf and Deborah, who were my partnets in escorting GGK. Asaf, especially, took time out to do this on a week when he literally had NO time to spare.
And finally, to Guy Gavriel Kay. If you read this site in Hebrew, or know me at all, you know that Tigana is my favorite novel in the world. Meeting Guy, talking to him about sports and politics and books and writers, doing a panel with him, assisting him during lectures, hearing him read the words he wrote, and having drinks with him, has been an amazing experience, and one I will never, ever forget. Thank you, Guy.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Tired now. Icon Day 3 report tomorrow...
I will say this - it was an awesome con, and today was a truly fine day.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Icon 2004: Day 2
Got to Icon at around noon. About thirty minutes later, GGK arrived after a tour of Jaffa, along with Deborah. We did some of the traditional sitting in the cafe, talking to people routine until it was time for the signing. This wasn't the monstrous event the Card signing was, but we had a nice line, and the signing went on for over an hour and a half, with everyone getting a chance for a nice chat, as well as getting all the books they wanted signed. One of the people who got his books signed was me. Kay signed my copy of Tigana in English, my copy of the new, single volume, edition of Tigana in Hebrew, and my copy of The Summer Tree in Hebrew. These were all important books for me - Tigana is my favorite book, as well as the first Kay book I read, and I fell in love with it in English. The new edition is a correction of an egregious wrong: the original edition was not proofread sufficiently, was in two volumes, and had a cover I hated with a passion. The new one is re-edited and proofread, in a single volume, and has the same lovely cover as the new Canadian edition. And The Summer Tree was the first GGK novel I published.
GGK, Deborah, and I then proceeded to lunch at Pasha, where we were joined by Asaf Asheri. We then went back to the cafe, where GGK was quickly surrounded. Seeing that the guest is well occupied, I did what I usually do at cons: sat around, talked to friends, made arrangements for GGK's events of the next day. We managed to schedule a second signing for volunteers at the con and people who couldn't make it to the first signing, to be held on day 3 at 15:30. I also walked around the con a bit, talked to some people, and resisted attempts by the Sunnydale Embassy To Israel and Okay (Collectors and Readers of Comics in Israel) to get me to join. I love comics, and I love Buffy, but right now, I still prefer to direct my efforts and money towards the ISSFF (this link is actually in English, unlike the previous two and the next one.) Got my copy of the latest issue of the 10th Dimension (the newsletter/magazine of the ISSFF).
After all the vigorous milling about, looking in on the (quite content) GoH, and drinking coffee and 7up, GGK, Deb, Asaf, and myself went upstairs for our panel on GGK's work. The panel was not as well attended as I'd hoped, but it was a very good discussion, with interesting topics, nice points made by my fellow panelists, and good questions from the crowd.
Following the panel, GGK went off to Odeon, across the street, with Deborah and some of her friends, for drinks. Some time later, a significant portion of the con's senior staff joined him there for the Official Senior Staff and GoH Dinner. Dinner was excellent. Asaf and I spent it sitting opposite volunteer chief Nomi Wiener and her boyfriend, logistical wizard (he was Icon's head of logistics last year) Oren Carmi.
The end of the dinner left a bit of a sour note, as some people left insufficient amounts of money and departed, and those of us who remained behind had to add quite a bit in order to reach even a 10 percent tip. But a sour end does not spoil and otherwise great day of Icon going. Those of you who aren't coming are missing a terrific con, which has a g program and is run extremely well.
GGK, Deborah, and I then proceeded to lunch at Pasha, where we were joined by Asaf Asheri. We then went back to the cafe, where GGK was quickly surrounded. Seeing that the guest is well occupied, I did what I usually do at cons: sat around, talked to friends, made arrangements for GGK's events of the next day. We managed to schedule a second signing for volunteers at the con and people who couldn't make it to the first signing, to be held on day 3 at 15:30. I also walked around the con a bit, talked to some people, and resisted attempts by the Sunnydale Embassy To Israel and Okay (Collectors and Readers of Comics in Israel) to get me to join. I love comics, and I love Buffy, but right now, I still prefer to direct my efforts and money towards the ISSFF (this link is actually in English, unlike the previous two and the next one.) Got my copy of the latest issue of the 10th Dimension (the newsletter/magazine of the ISSFF).
After all the vigorous milling about, looking in on the (quite content) GoH, and drinking coffee and 7up, GGK, Deb, Asaf, and myself went upstairs for our panel on GGK's work. The panel was not as well attended as I'd hoped, but it was a very good discussion, with interesting topics, nice points made by my fellow panelists, and good questions from the crowd.
Following the panel, GGK went off to Odeon, across the street, with Deborah and some of her friends, for drinks. Some time later, a significant portion of the con's senior staff joined him there for the Official Senior Staff and GoH Dinner. Dinner was excellent. Asaf and I spent it sitting opposite volunteer chief Nomi Wiener and her boyfriend, logistical wizard (he was Icon's head of logistics last year) Oren Carmi.
The end of the dinner left a bit of a sour note, as some people left insufficient amounts of money and departed, and those of us who remained behind had to add quite a bit in order to reach even a 10 percent tip. But a sour end does not spoil and otherwise great day of Icon going. Those of you who aren't coming are missing a terrific con, which has a g program and is run extremely well.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Icon 2004: Day 1
Day 1 is done, and I am already tired. Got up at 9:30, which may seem like a reasonable hour for most of you, but when you usually wake up at 12:00-13:00, 9:30 is super early. By 10:40, Tammy and myself were at Kay's hotel, all set to take him to Zomet Sfarim at Azrieli for the first booksigning of the week.
Things were quiet at Azrieli, as the event wasn't really promoted. But GGK did get to do an interview for a piece about Icon that is due to appear in Haaretz. I went off to Icon, leaving GGK with my fellow members of the Kay Patrol, Asaf and Deborah, who took him to lunch.
Icon was packed. It's never been this packed during screenings. Not even last year. I found some friends to sit with, and eventually went to get some lunch with Nir Yaniv and Lavie Tidhar. The early afternoon hours were spent in regular Icon fashion - milling about, sitting at the cafe with friends, talking to other friends, and watching Tamar, Nomi, Uri, Hadas, and the rest of the really critical Icon staff zooming by, as they rush from one thing to another.
I also voted for the Geffen, and got my "I voted for the Geffen" sticker from super-efficient Yael Abadi, my former partner in Bydion 2004.
Around 15:20, GGK et al arrived at the con, looking quite refreshed after a nice lunch. Not long after that, I had to go upstairs and give my lecture, which was Kay 101, an overview of his books, his themes, and his career. The lecture, in front of a semi-full (but not embarrasingly empty) hall, went quite well. One woman was upset that I wasn't delving into Kay's work deeply enough, and talking about it in reference to the theme. But this was Kay 101, not Kay 300, so I stayed my course, and suffered some nasty looks from her in return. Oh, well. Can't please everyone. The q&a after my overview was quite lively, and for the most part went quite well.
After that, I went downstairs and took Mike Fiedler to join GGK and company, who were having a dring at Odeon, in an effort to stay away from the incredibly loud sounds of the videogames set up in the Cinemateque lobby.
After drinks, it was back to the con for the opening ceremony, which featured speeches, skits, songs, trailers, and a few short, funny words from GGK. This was followed by GGK's excellent speech, In Defense Of Fantasy, a version of which can be found here. I then got up on stage, and served as translator and repeater of audience questions. This was a bit of fun, and I got to be involved in GGK's speech. I even got applause for successfully repeating a really long question.
The Q&A session itself was excellent. We asked the audience to try and focus their questions on topics related to the speech, which they mostly did. And both questions and answers were mostly terrific.
After that, at around 21:30PM, it was off to dinner at Lilith, a wonderful vegetarian restaurant. Then Kay was driven to the hotel, while I went to wait for the bus, where I posted the previous post from my phone.
Tomorrow will be highlighted by GGK's booksigning and our panel, which will basically feature the entire Kay entourage. Should be fun. Tune in tomorrow for all the details.
Things were quiet at Azrieli, as the event wasn't really promoted. But GGK did get to do an interview for a piece about Icon that is due to appear in Haaretz. I went off to Icon, leaving GGK with my fellow members of the Kay Patrol, Asaf and Deborah, who took him to lunch.
Icon was packed. It's never been this packed during screenings. Not even last year. I found some friends to sit with, and eventually went to get some lunch with Nir Yaniv and Lavie Tidhar. The early afternoon hours were spent in regular Icon fashion - milling about, sitting at the cafe with friends, talking to other friends, and watching Tamar, Nomi, Uri, Hadas, and the rest of the really critical Icon staff zooming by, as they rush from one thing to another.
I also voted for the Geffen, and got my "I voted for the Geffen" sticker from super-efficient Yael Abadi, my former partner in Bydion 2004.
Around 15:20, GGK et al arrived at the con, looking quite refreshed after a nice lunch. Not long after that, I had to go upstairs and give my lecture, which was Kay 101, an overview of his books, his themes, and his career. The lecture, in front of a semi-full (but not embarrasingly empty) hall, went quite well. One woman was upset that I wasn't delving into Kay's work deeply enough, and talking about it in reference to the theme. But this was Kay 101, not Kay 300, so I stayed my course, and suffered some nasty looks from her in return. Oh, well. Can't please everyone. The q&a after my overview was quite lively, and for the most part went quite well.
After that, I went downstairs and took Mike Fiedler to join GGK and company, who were having a dring at Odeon, in an effort to stay away from the incredibly loud sounds of the videogames set up in the Cinemateque lobby.
After drinks, it was back to the con for the opening ceremony, which featured speeches, skits, songs, trailers, and a few short, funny words from GGK. This was followed by GGK's excellent speech, In Defense Of Fantasy, a version of which can be found here. I then got up on stage, and served as translator and repeater of audience questions. This was a bit of fun, and I got to be involved in GGK's speech. I even got applause for successfully repeating a really long question.
The Q&A session itself was excellent. We asked the audience to try and focus their questions on topics related to the speech, which they mostly did. And both questions and answers were mostly terrific.
After that, at around 21:30PM, it was off to dinner at Lilith, a wonderful vegetarian restaurant. Then Kay was driven to the hotel, while I went to wait for the bus, where I posted the previous post from my phone.
Tomorrow will be highlighted by GGK's booksigning and our panel, which will basically feature the entire Kay entourage. Should be fun. Tune in tomorrow for all the details.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Mobile blogging
It's funny because it's true...
While catching up on my blogs between finishing my latest translation and whole Icon madness, I ran into this brilliant example of Homer Simpson's first rule of humor, an open letter from the computer industry to the media industry over at The Butt Ugly Weblog, via Boing Boing. I'll just reprint the whole thing.
Dear Media Industry:
We lied to you. In the golden 80s and 90s we told you micropayments and content protection would work; that you would be able to charge minuscule amounts of money whenever someone listened to your music or watched your movie. We told you untruths which we well knew would never work - after all, we would've never used them ourselves. Instead, we wrote things like Kazaa and Gnutella, and all other evil P2P applications to get the stuff free.
We told you these things so that you would finance the things we really wanted to build, not the things that you wanted to be built. We knew all along that DRM schemes do not work, and we knew that whatever we create can be broken by us. We don't care anymore, because your money made us bigger than you.
Look at us: every year, we churn out more computer games than your entire industry is worth. You know how we do it? We like our customers. We don't treat them like potential criminals, and try to make our products do less. We invent new things like online role-playing -games, where the money does not come from duplication of bits (which cannot be stopped, regardless of your DRM scheme) but from providing experiences that the people want.
We saw that you were old and weak. So we took advantage of it: told you things that you wanted to hear so we could kick you in the head in twenty years. Some of us told you that the future is going to be interactive - what did you do? You started to think how to make interactive movies (CD-I, anyone?), which is not what it really means, while we wrote games and tried to understand the new mediums, not how to bolt it on onto old things.
We lied to you. And we apologize for that, but it was for the greater good. So we're not the least bit sorry.
Signed: The Computer Industry
The media industry, as represented by the the RIAA and MPAA and the Jack Valentis of this world, deserve this ridicule. When you routinely spit your costumers in the eye, you really shouldn't be surprised when they spit back.
Dear Media Industry:
We lied to you. In the golden 80s and 90s we told you micropayments and content protection would work; that you would be able to charge minuscule amounts of money whenever someone listened to your music or watched your movie. We told you untruths which we well knew would never work - after all, we would've never used them ourselves. Instead, we wrote things like Kazaa and Gnutella, and all other evil P2P applications to get the stuff free.
We told you these things so that you would finance the things we really wanted to build, not the things that you wanted to be built. We knew all along that DRM schemes do not work, and we knew that whatever we create can be broken by us. We don't care anymore, because your money made us bigger than you.
Look at us: every year, we churn out more computer games than your entire industry is worth. You know how we do it? We like our customers. We don't treat them like potential criminals, and try to make our products do less. We invent new things like online role-playing -games, where the money does not come from duplication of bits (which cannot be stopped, regardless of your DRM scheme) but from providing experiences that the people want.
We saw that you were old and weak. So we took advantage of it: told you things that you wanted to hear so we could kick you in the head in twenty years. Some of us told you that the future is going to be interactive - what did you do? You started to think how to make interactive movies (CD-I, anyone?), which is not what it really means, while we wrote games and tried to understand the new mediums, not how to bolt it on onto old things.
We lied to you. And we apologize for that, but it was for the greater good. So we're not the least bit sorry.
Signed: The Computer Industry
The media industry, as represented by the the RIAA and MPAA and the Jack Valentis of this world, deserve this ridicule. When you routinely spit your costumers in the eye, you really shouldn't be surprised when they spit back.
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